Daddy
by tantei39kunoichi
Summary: What will Sherlock do when an orphaned little girl is made to stay with him for a week? Will he take up the challenge?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock Holmes (or any other characters).

A/N: This was just a cute idea that popped into my head during English period. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 1**

It was a peaceful morning as Holmes and Watson sat in their sitting room, enjoying their breakfast. Holmes was, as usual, very eager for another case. He hadn't gotten any interesting ones for quite some time, and Watson hadn't had any patients to attend to either. Little did they know they were in for a big surprise later on that day.

"I say Holmes, isn't that Lestrade getting out of a carriage and walking towards here?" said Watson as he looked out the window, pointing at the small person who was hurriedly approached number 221b.

"Right you are old chap. And it seems to me that he has come for some friendly advice from me again." replied Holmes as he stood up and headed towards the door and opened it just in time to find Lestrade climbing the last step of the stairs.

Lestrade was wearing a long overcoat over his usual attire. His hair was neatly fixed as he took of his hat and started waving it. "I am in need of your assistance, Mr. Holmes!" he stated in a tone of despair.

"Whatever do you need my assistance for, Lestrade?" asked Holmes as he put down his utensils on his plate. He took an expression of utmost seriousness as he knew this was bound to be something interesting so he gave his full attention to him.

Watson, seeing his friend paying close attention to Lestrade, copied him, diverting his attention from his unfinished breakfast to Lestrade.

Lestrade replied "There has been a crime committed down at Spinner's End! And we need your help in solving it!" He fell to the nearest seat, massaging the bridge of his nose. "The murder of Mr. and Mrs. Nottingham has the force completely baffled! We have no idea whatsoever what the cause of death was. There was no sign of forced entry upon their humble abode, nor was there any sign of a struggle. Not even the best of Scotland Yard could solve it! That is why we need you, Mr. Holmes!" he stated to him with a hint of despair in his voice.

Sherlock took a moment to make his decision before standing up and smiling at Lestrade. "This all sounds very interesting, Lestrade. I would like to see the crime scene. When may that be possible, I ask?"

"Oh right away, Mr. Holmes! I can call a hansom for us right now!" Lestrade answered as he rushed off to get a hansom, delight dancing upon his features.

Sherlock strode over to where his coat and hat hung, and started putting them on. "Come one, Watson." he said as he gestured his dear fellow to follow. But at the moment Watson stood up Mrs. Hudson rushed into the room and shouted "Doctor Watson! I just got a telegram that your wife has been rushed to the hospital!"

Watson looked very alarmed at the sudden news as he rushed to get his coat and hat. "So sorry I can't come, Holmes!" he apologized to Sherlock as he ran past him, giving him an apologetic look, and rushed off to call for a cab.

Sherlock smiled sadly, feeling sort of empty without Watson accompanying him on a case. He would have been a great company compared to dear old Lestrade. He put in his pocket his necessary tools for investigation and upon noticing the absence of Mrs. Hudson, walked down the stairs.

At opening the front door he found Lestrade already waiting in the hansom. He got in the car and started talking about the significance of fingerprints on the way to Spinner's End.

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A/N: Watson had to go for a reason. You'll find out why in the next chapter. ;) It'll come out the next weekend, I hope. Oh, and I'm terribly sorry if Lestrade's being OC to any of you. I don't pay much attention to him. XD 

Reviews are deeply appreciated :D


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the late update! So much has come up at school…projects and homework and all that. They're all giving me quite a headache which led to my writer's block. Terribly sorry! If any of you are still bothering to read, then thank you. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock Holmes and never will.

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**Chapter 2**

When they had finally arrived at their destination, they both got out of the car. Lestrade, having paid the hansom driver, lead the way to the house. Holmes was quietly observing his surroundings. Spinner's End seemed to be a peaceful neighborhood; with well-tilled soil, the garden's were simply exquisite and each house seemed to have its own style.

His eyes finally landed on the house where the crime had been committed. It was a simple two-story house with a nice red roof and flesh colored walls. It gave an impression of simplicity among the other stylish houses beside it. After having thoroughly observed the house, he walked around the house, observing every detail if the soil or path where the criminal might have trodden upon, with his magnifying glass. After having done so, he finally proceeded to the inside of the house.

The inside of the house was just like the outside; simple in every way possible. Everything was neat and in order, nothing seemed to be disturbed. But when he had gotten to the kitchen, the only thing he saw that seemed out of place was a dead body lying face down on the floor.

It was the body of a woman who Holmes took to be as Mrs. Nottingham. She was still wearing her night clothes and her dark brown hair sprawled all over the kitchen floor. To any normal person, they would just thing whoever lay on that floor was sleeping or had fainted, but to a trained observer such as Holmes, he could see that the woman was not breathing. Upon closer inspection, the body of Mrs. Nottingham was rigid with rigor mortis and her hazel brown eyes had a certain haunted look to them. Utter horror and fear was etched on her features, as if she had been frightened to death. After having inspected her clothes and finding nothing, he moved to inspecting the kitchen itself.

Nothing had been moved, according to Lestrade, so Holmes was confident that no evidence had been hidden from him yet. He combed every inch of the kitchen until he had come to the dining table and observed the unfinished breakfast. He looked at it for a moment before noticing it was set out for three people. _'How odd.'_ he thought. He observed every inch of the meal set out. As his eyes set upon the unfinished tea, there was that sort of twinkle in his eye that signified him finding something significant.

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He smiled to himself secretly as he left the room and headed towards the second floor where he knew the body of Mr. Nottingham awaited him.

He observed the same things on the husband that were also on his wife. Therefore, after having been sure that all evidence was in reach, and that his deductions were foolproof, he went back into the kitchen and had somebody call Lestrade, so he could tell him his findings and leave the rest for him.

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Lestrade came running into the kitchen, drenched in sweat. After getting bored of following Holmes around silently, he chose to go out for a drink at a nearby restaurant. One of the policemen of Scotland Yard had found him there, telling him that Holmes had wanted to tell him something; and now here he was.

Holmes raised his brow at the sight of Lestrade and chuckled a moment later. "It seems that you have been taking a break at a nearby restaurant, Inspector. Pray take a seat and I will elaborate on my findings." he said as he fiddled with his fingers. Lestrade took a seat as Holmes walked over to him.

"This case proved to be a mere trifle on my account. Mr. and Mrs. Nottingham were killed with a poison that can go undetectable within an hour. Thankfully, there were still remnants of the poison when we arrived here. The woman had died faster than her husband because she had consumed most of it. The husband however got a slightly smaller dose, therefore having time to go upstairs. Though what's odd is--"

_thump, thump_

Holmes head turned from right to left in search of the sound. "Did you hear something, Inspector?"

Lestrade stood up and listened hard.

_Thump, thump_

"By Jove, it's coming from over there!" Lestrade shouted, pointing at the bottom part of a large cabinet where glassware was kept.

Both men took out their guns and slowly approached the cabinet door. Holmes reached out with his free hand, grabbed the knob, and slowly pulled it open.

In the span of a second, there was a blur of black and pink, and before Holmes knew what an Earth was happening, a little figure had fiercely clung to his leg and cried out in small voice "Daddy!"

The room went silent as shock spread over each of the two persons standing there. The only sound that could be heard was the silent whimpering and sobbing of the little figure clinging to Holmes' leg.

After overcoming the shock, Holmes put his gun on the ground and gently put his hands in the little figures' shoulders. The little figure hesitantly let go of his knee but obliged.

As Holmes kneeled down to eye level at the little figure the first thing he noticed was that it was a little girl, about the age of four, with long jet black hair and big hazel brown eyes. She was wearing the night gown that she had slept in and was barefoot. Her face was tear stained and various emotions were being expressed; fear and confusion. Holmes could also see that the girl was frightened beyond all reason and before he knew it, the girl had jumped at him and clung to him like he was her lifeline.

"Daddy…" she cried.

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A/N: That's it for now. Sorry, I had nowhere to squeeze in what happend to Watson but he'll be there in the next chapter. :) I promise. :) I think I'll have time to write the next chapter tomorrow (and hopefully finish it by tomorrow), so watch out for the next chapter. :)

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Terribly sorry for the late update. I've just gotten used to my sembreak and I've finally come round to sneaking a use of the laptop where my files are saved. Enough of my ceaseless banter! Carry on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock Holmes.

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**Chapter 3**

"_Daddy…" she cried._

Holmes was taken aback by the girl's sudden and unexpected hug. It had been a long time since someone had hugged him. Caught off guard, he stared at the little girl who was whimpering and sobbing on his neck. She was holding on to him like he was her lifeline, shaking violently. Unaware of his own actions, he caressed her hair gently as a little smile crept upon his features.

The little girl had calmed down a bit after a few minutes but she was still shaking quite a lot when he gently put his hands on her shoulders and made her face him.

"Little girl, what is your name?" he asked her. He tried to be as gentle as he could be in prodding information from her. He knew she was still shaken a bit, but he did need the information. This case seemed to go into deeper waters than he first thought.

The little girl looked up at him with tearful eyes and wiped them away with the sleeve of her night gown. "M-My name is Ariana." she said, her voice shaking in fear.

"D-Daddy…?" Lestrade voiced out in wonder. He looked from Holmes to Ariana, clearly confused. "You're not her father…are you Holmes?" he asked hesitantly.

Holmes looked at him like he had been struck by lightning. "Are you daft, Lestrade?! Of course I am not her father! Clearly she thinks I am her father because, if you have bothered to look at Mr. Nottingham's body, I look a tad bit like him!" he replied rather harshly.

Lestrade looked at Holmes, processing what he just said. And after a moment's thought, he finally got convinced that Holmes did indeed look a tad bit like Mr. Nottingham. "Well, seeing as she was hiding in the cabinet here in the kitchen, she must've seen who poisoned her parents!" he said with enthusiasm.

Holmes shook his head. "I have already found the killer Lestrade. It was their maid that did it. She put the poison in their food as she was about to serve it to them. I think you might still find the poison on her or it may be in her room." he finished.

Lestrade looked at Holmes, his mouth wide open. Disappointed that he wasn't right he sighed in defeat. "What shall we do with the little girl? I can send her off to an orphanage after I fix her papers. Though it might take a while…Ah! I've got it! You'll keep her for a week, Holmes as I fix her papers. Babysitting a little girl for a week won't be much of a problem now would it?" he suggested with a grin as he took his leave without another word.

Holmes just stared at the spot where Lestrade had stood, utterly bewildered. _Him? _Sherlock Holmes? Babysit? It seemed an impossible feat for him to do, but was he not the world's greatest detective or what?

Shaking his head at the many different thoughts going through it, he sighed in defeat as he said "Come Ariana. You will be staying with me for a week at my quarters, do you understand?" He looked at with a serious expression.

Ariana looked at him in fear as she slowly nodded. "Y-Yes, mister." she replied, still shaking. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes as she hugged the teddy bear she was holding tighter.

Realizing that he had just scared her, he tried softening his expression a bit as he took her hand and led her upstairs to her room. "I'm terribly sorry for frightening you, Ariana. Now shall we pack your things and get going?" he asked her nicely, a smile gracing his features.

Ariana slowly nodded as she got the clothes and things she needed and handed them to Holmes to neatly pack and put in a suitcase, prepared for them by the Scotland Yard policemen. After having finished packing Ariana's belongings, they went downstairs. Ariana put on her shoes and packed her slippers and they both walked outside, Holmes hailing a cab for them.

On the way to Baker Street, Ariana looked at Holmes with an expression of pure, innocent curiosity, and then she asked "M-Mister? What's your name?"

Holmes, surprised by the sudden questioning, looked at her for a moment before smiling at her gently and replying "I am Sherlock Holmes. You may call me 'Mr. Holmes', if you like." He knew he had to be gentle with her since her parents had just died and that he needed to help her get through what he knew always happened to people whose family had just been killed; especially since she was a child. But he really never expected Lestrade to volunteer _him_, of all people, to take care of the child for a week. He didn't have the slightest idea of what to do when babysitting a little girl. He had considered asking Watson for some help but he knew he was busy with his practice and his wife.

He sighed deeply as he stared out the window, thinking about what to do when they had gotten to his quarters. He knew he was in for a long and trivial week.

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A/N: I know it doesn't have that sort of feel to it as the past chapters but having writer's block while I wrote this chapter was killing me. I'm sorry for its shortness and if Holmes is a bit OOC but he has to be…for the sake of the fic. Next chapter to come out soon! That's where thing's start getting, shall we say, interesting.

Review please!


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